Caseworker offers fresh take on trials of street life
Imagine if you had to live every minute of your life battling crowds of people whose mission was to prevent you from moving forward.
In a way, that’s what people experiencing homelessness go through.
“When you’re homeless, you can get bullied, you always have to worry about your stuff getting stolen, and you’re not getting any sleep because you’re living in a homeless shelter with 100-plus people,” said Greg Inman (pictured at top), a caseworker at The Salvation Army social services office and Hope Harbor housing facility in downtown Minneapolis (pictured at right).
Now imagine a calm, tranquil place that provides a respite from the chaos.
For many people on the streets, that place is The Salvation Army.
“A lot of people just come in here and sit,” Inman said. “They feel safe in our office. They need a quiet, peaceful place.”
They also need help. Inman provides that assistance through a bevy of services made possible by Salvation Army supporters. He offers food and clothing. He gives bus tokens for transportation to medical appointments or job interviews. He provides employment resources. He refers people to Salvation Army housing case managers.
When Inman’s guests secure permanent housing, he loves asking them how their first night went.
“They go on and on,” Inman said. “They can’t help but laugh and smile. They can finally hear their own thoughts. They feel so good to be out of the crap.”
To the untrained eye, some of the people Inman serves appear to be lazy. But most times, that’s not the case.
“The truth is, a lot of them feel tired and defeated,” he said. “They say, ‘I want out of this, but I’ve tried everything.’ Some have felonies and can’t get a job or a place to live. Some women might have been involved in prostitution. What they need is a second chance.”
Inman believes a homeless person’s need for help is comparable to the needs of college students and entrepreneurs: “College students need loans. Rich people need loans. Are they all lazy and selfish, because they had to get a loan?”
Inman, 35, is thankful to have a job that allows him to help people. He started working for The Salvation Army a year ago after previous careers in tech support and home theater installations.
“This is where I belong,” he said. “God has called us to serve the poor. Even if you separate the Christianity out of that, I think that anyone – rich, poor, religious, secular – they have to admit that serving someone else is more fulfilling than anything else in the world.”
Inman is one of dozens of social services staff members employed at the Twin Cities Salvation Army’s 15 metro area service centers and satellite offices. Together, they served more than 93,000 people last year.
Please join The Salvation Army by volunteering or making a donation to support housing programs in your local community.